The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for automatically generating control programs for computer controlled systems such as rolling plants, power plants, and chemical plants.
Various types of plants such as rolling plants and power plants are controlled in practice directly and digitally by using computers. In such a case, it becomes necessary to provide computer programs in accordance with a plant operation procedure. In generating computer programs for controlling a plant, an operation procedure for a driving machine has been conventionally determined at a meeting arranged between system engineers and users, in accordance with a plant operation procedure (provided in the form of a plant operation function specification). In accordance with the driving machine operation procedure, program engineers of a maker side generate programs. Although system engineers and program engineers consult each other beforehand for providing appropriate programs, system engineers cannot check whether or not the resultant programs can execute the driving machine operation procedure as desired. In addition, the contents of programs vary with the ability of program engineers. In order to solve such problems, it has been proposed that regular programs frequently used are prepared in the form of modules and these program modules are coupled together to automatically provide necessary programs. Such automatic program generation is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication JP-A-62-12335.
In an automatic program generating method heretofore proposed, a program engineer compiles program modules and forms a source program which is in turn assembled into a load module written in machine language. Accordingly, a system engineer cannot check the quality of the function of programs as to whether or not they conform with the driving machine operation procedure, until the plant is caused to run actually. There is also associated with a problem that a system engineer alone cannot modify programs even if the plant operation procedure is changed. On the user side, there is also associated with a problem that it is not possible to check the function of programs and modify them because of a difficulty of having program engineers on the user side.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of automatically generating control programs for a computer controlled system capable of readily checking and modifying the function of automatically generated programs even by computer programming novices.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of automatically generating control programs for a computer controlled system capable of readily checking the execution contents of programs before a plant is caused to run actually.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of automatically generating control programs for a computer controlled system capable of readily testing generated program modules.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for automatically generating control programs for, a computer controlled system capable of readily confirming and modifying the function of automatically generated programs even by computer programming novices.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for automatically generating control programs for a computer controlled system capable of readily checking the execution contents of programs before a plant is caused to run actually.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for automatically generating control programs for a computer controlled system capable of readily testing generated program modules.
The other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description.
According to one aspect of this invention, a number of general purpose standard program modules (standard modules) are prepared beforehand, and selected standard modules are displayed as graphics or picture information on a display unit. A desired combination of standard program modules is selected in accordance with a plant operation procedure to form a customized program module (customized module) which is stored in a stocker in the form of graphics information. A number of customized modules are also formed for each program function. These customized modules are compiled to form a source program which is in turn assembled to form intermediate modules not addressed. The intermediate modules are combined and edited to form a load module program.
According to another aspect of the present invention, while a plant is caused to run in accordance with a generated program, the contents of the program under execution are displayed on a display unit in the form of a plant operation function specification, to thereby allow a real time monitor of the program.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the contents of a desired customized program module can be displayed on a display unit in the form of a plant operation function specification.
According to the present invention, customized modules are held as graphics information in the form of a plant operation function specification. Therefore, the function of a program can be checked from the displayed graphics information, and the program can be modified by changing the displayed graphics information. Computer programming novices can accordingly check and modify a program easily.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the contents of programs to be executed when a plant is caused to run can be monitored in real time in the form of a plant operation function specification. Accordingly, the control contents during an abnormal operation can be grasped readily so that the countermeasure for the abnormal operation can be carried out properly.
Furthermore, since a program can be displayed and monitored in the form of a plant operation function specification, a program module can be tested easily.